Collateral Damage
by skymaiden32
Summary: After an experiment goes wrong, it results in a hospital trip for Lisa and the whole family discovering something that could change everything... Constructive criticism welcomed. No flames please.
1. Chapter 1

Dinner in the Loud house. A good time to let loose and converse about the day. But in a large family, chaos was a consequence of this.

As the family ate their dinner, they noticed that a certain scientist was missing. The matriarch sighed. Lisa tended to not come down for meals if she was in the middle of an experiment, and Rita knew her second youngest daughter wouldn't like being interrupted. She turned to her son in the kitchen.

"Lincoln, when you're done, could you take a plate of food up to Lisa?"

The middle child nodded, happy to help. However, he feared for his sister's safety. Yes, she may be a genius, but she was still only a little girl. She had limits and needs just like everyone else.

"Sure thing. I can take it up now." He said, having just finished his own meal.

Rita smiled as Lincoln picked up Lisa's plate.

Just as he was about to ascend however, they all heard a large booming noise from upstairs. The sound scared the life out of Lori who, despite knowing dinner etiquette, was talking to her boyfriend Bobby. However, in response she quickly apologised to him, hanging up after a quick 'goodbye.'

The father rushed toward his shocked son, who had paled slightly. After about 5 seconds, Lincoln explained his fear.

"This isn't like her. She'd usually tell us if she was okay."

Alarm bells ringing amongst Lynn Sr's head, he quickly yelled up the stairs, "Lisa, honey? Are you alright?"  
Silence was his only response, making both himself and his family panic. Calming himself, he took the plate of food from Lincoln and set it aside.

Rushing up the stairs and silently beckoning for his family to follow, he was comforted by all the kids scrambling to get to the door of Lisa and Lily's joint room. It was nice to know they cared for each other.

Strengthening his resolve, he knocked on the door. "Lisa? If you can hear me, open this door."

Still no answer. All of the family attempted to open it, but to no avail. Until Leni came home from the mall.

She may be ditsy, but she could never go wrong in regards to her family's safety. Hearing the panicked voice of Luan yell, "What do we do? She's not answering.", she grabbed a hair clip and ran upstairs, pushing past her family to reach the door. Lisa had changed the lock to something more complex, so it took a few minutes. Despite fumbling around for a few minutes though, she gained access to the room. Leni stepped back, allowing her parents and siblings to go in first.

Ignoring the obvious mess the explosion caused, everyone's eyes immediately fell on the small form of Lisa. Some anguished yells of, "Lisa!" aside, Rita breathed a sigh of relief when she realised her daughter was breathing, albeit faint. Rushing up to support her, the mother saw that Lisa was unconscious, her face and brown hair blackened in the explosion, with her clothes torn up slightly. Minor cuts and bruises covered her where the fabric had ripped, small glass fragments lodged in some places. But that hadn't been what concerned Rita the most. Her second youngest daughter had also received a small gash along her forehead. Thankfully not that deep.

She forced herself out of shock before barking orders at her family. "Lori, call an ambulance! Leni, get the first aid kit. We need to bandage this up as best we can. Lincoln, could you grab her blanket from her bed? Lola, Lana. I need you two to get Lily sorted."

Despite the twins' reluctance to leave their sister's side, they took Lily from Lucy and went to calm the baby down. The other three hurried to their assigned tasks, and Lisa was soon bandaged up and wrapped tightly in a blanket. She gave a small smile in unconsciousness, comforted by her family around her.

Within a few minutes, the ambulance arrived at the house. Neighbours and passers by looked on anxiously at the scene of the toddler being wheeled into the ambulance, Rita and Lynn Sr following close behind.

The patriarch yelled, "Lori! You're in charge!" before joining his wife and daughter.

The siblings continued to watch as the ambulance skidded down the road, sirens blaring, till it disappeared from sight. After they lost sight of the ambulance, they trudged forlornly into the house, glum faces all the way from Lori to Lola.

As they disappeared into their humble abode, their neighbour, Mr Grouse, looked on with sadness and worry. Despite their differences, he decided right then and there that he would do everything in his power to help them...


	2. Chapter 2

First darkness. Then blurry vision as Lisa opened her eyes. She was suddenly all too aware of a sharp pain in her forehead. The toddler winced slightly.

She could just about make out the voices of her parents and a stranger conversing in the next room. Sitting up, she only became more aware of the pain in her head, as well as dull aches all over her body.

It was at that moment the door opened.

"Well Mr and Mrs Loud, we did find something that we know you'll be terrified about after you hear, but..."  
He turned his head and stopped talking when he saw Lisa sitting up, rubbing her head. "Ah. You're awake."

Her parents saw her too, running to her side.

Lynn Sr handed the genius her glasses, which she gratefully put on whilst her mother asked, "How are you feeling, honey?"

After hesitating a little, Lisa answered truthfully, "Aching. A little confused." She sighed. "Where are we?"

Rita gave a sigh of her own before explaining the events of the past few hours. "One of your experiments exploded. You were badly wounded and unconscious so we brought you here, to the hospital." Tears started to appear at the corner of her eyes. "We were so scared we lost you." She admitted, before embracing her daughter.

"Are my siblings aware? Are they present?" Asked the four year old, voice brimming with the hope of seeing her siblings.

Her father hesitated before replying. "Yes and no. They all know what happened, but they're still at home."  
After a small, "Oh." from Lisa, Lynn continued.  
"But we can let them know you're awake and want to see them."  
"Thank you, male parental unit."  
"Oh, for goodness sake, Lis. Just call me Dad."

They chuckled at Lynn Sr's joke for a minute. The doctor looked on, a little upset that it was his job to break the most terrible news that this family would ever have to face...


	3. Chapter 3

A/n: 'Kay, I'm going to be honest here... this is a really short chapter...

The Loud children were always some to make themselves known. But even they sensed the silence required for a visit to the hospital, so they entered quietly, careful not to wake any of the patients. And speaking of patients...

The receptionist asked in an even, yet kind voice, "Patient name?"  
The siblings answered in unison. "Lisa Loud."  
"What relation are you to her?"  
"We're her siblings." Replied Lori.

The receptionist was more than a little surprised, whispered to the eldest something that the others didn't hear, but the elder ones could guess from the reaction of both women.  
"Ha Ha. Very funny."  
"Sorry!"  
"It's okay. We get it a lot."  
"Your sister is in the Paediatric Ward. Right wing."  
"Thank you."

The receptionist looked on, smiling as she watched the ten children retreat towards the ward. How lucky they were to have each other.

—

The day had been going all too slow for Lisa. She had awoken as usual, but remembered where she was and why. Her parents had commandeered a sofa and chair on the other side of the room, snoring loudly.

She'd been reading the science textbooks that her parents had brought with them, and was just about to get some sleep when she heard the pure noise that she knew only a specific group could make. Her siblings had arrived.

Still reading so as to hide her expression of happiness from her sisters and brother, she said calmly, "Enter."

The others, however, had no such calm demeanour. They burst in, yelling "Lisa!" in unison. It soon became apparent that the room was overcrowded. Let the bombardment of questions begin.

"What happened?"  
"Poo poo?"  
"Did they find out what's wrong?"  
"When can you come home?"  
But one question stood out. "Are you okay?" Lincoln enquired.

She paused before replying. "Yeah. I'm fine." Before she could further put their minds at ease, however, she was swiftly met by her brother's warm embrace. The rest of the sisters joined them, sharing their first group hug in days.

It was the doctor that disturbed that family peace. He sighed at the sight of the embrace as he came in, a little unhappy to be the one to break the earth shattering news to the family.

"I'm sorry to interrupt."  
He was met by several, "It's okay."s from those around him. Another sigh. So far, so good. But the blow was still to come.

"There's no easy way to say this." He took a breath. "Lisa has cancer."

The entire family, including Lisa herself, were staring at him in shock. Until Luna asked, "Which cancer?"  
He took another deep breath. "Leukaemia."


	4. Chapter 4

A/n: (Almost) none of this is mine, only the plot and the doctor character. Enjoy!

—

Instead of chewing him out for giving them this information like he expected, all the family did was hold the four year old closer, as if attempting to shield her from the illness that she already had. The prodigy shrank into the embrace, actively seeking out that protection.

He continued, "Thankfully, we caught it at a fairly early stage. So it's treatable."

The mother stepped forward, "What are her options?"  
"Well, I'd personally recommend chemotherapy... but..."

"No way." They turned to Lola, slightly surprised at her sudden protectiveness. "I don't know a lot about cancer, but I do know this. We are NOT pumping chemicals into my little sister's body."  
They were even more surprised when said little sister made a move toward the pageant queen. "Lola. I'll be fine."  
"But..."  
"Sure there's a risk. But if it means staying with my family, I'll take it."  
Lola started tearing up, grabbing Lisa and holding her close. "What did we do to deserve you lil sis?"

At the scene, the doctor took his leave, saying, "I'll give you guys some time."

—

The family remained in their group hug for a while. They were a little surprised when they heard a choked sobbing noise coming from the centre of their family pile. It dawned on all of them who it was. Lisa.

The rarity of the situation made the siblings and parents panic slightly. Thankfully, there were several family members who had sufficient knowledge to deal with the situation.

"Shh. It's okay. You're gonna be okay."

Lisa stopped for a moment upon realisation of who it was. Her only brother was cradling her, supporting her with his chest. Lincoln gave her a loving smile, saying, "It's okay Lis."  
"Lincoln, I'm scared..." She confided in her brother, before burying her face in his chest, silent tears rolling down her cheeks.  
"I know sis. But everything will be fine. I promise." He replied, his own tears brimming at the edge of his eyes.

As he spoke his comforting words, the doctor re-entered the room. "Sorry to bother you, but I forgot to tell you something. And... I'd like it to be just the man of the family to know."  
Lynn Sr gave his family a nervous glance, before exiting the room and saying, "Go ahead, Doctor."  
"Please, call me Phil. Anyway, the chemotherapy won't get rid of the cancer. Not completely. And because she's so young, we can't give her too much."  
"Please," He began in slight desperation. "Isn't there any way that you can cure my daughter?"

The doctor looked thoughtful. "Well, there is a cancer treatment centre I know very well. I've got contacts there as well. But..."  
"But... What?"  
"It's halfway across the world."  
"Still, it sounds great... But are you sure it's a good facility?"  
"One of the best in the world, Mr Loud."  
"That's great!" Lynn Sr exclaimed, though wary of his family in the room. "But what should I tell...?"  
He was swiftly cut off. "Tell no one."  
"Not even Lisa? But this should be her decision..."  
"Mr Loud. She's four." The doctor delivered in a deadpan manner.  
The father quickly rebutted, "She's also one of the smartest four year olds, if not THE smartest, in the world." He explained, a smidgen of pride in his voice. "She has to know..."

Doctor Phil sighed for the umpteenth time that day. "Okay. Just wait for a while. I want to make sure she gets a place."  
"Thank you."  
"In the meantime, make sure she takes the treatments."  
"Of course... Phil."


	5. Chapter 5

When Rita got home from work, she saw the whole family crowded around the second youngest, who looked deathly pale and was holding a sick bowl. The mother sighed as she made her toward her children. They were clinging protectively to their sister, and Rita was weighing their options.

With regret in her heart, she told all her kids except Lisa to get ready for bed. When the complaining children vanished upstairs, the mother sat next to her daughter, and began to clean her up. After some protest, Rita finished. Lisa looked a little better, but still a tad pale.

Her instructions were clear. "Lisa, if you feel sick in the night, tell one of your siblings, okay?"  
Lisa nodded before ascending the stairs.

As Lisa passed the ever growing and familiar line, Luan took a breath before leaving her spot in the bathroom queue, causing her to get some questioning glances from the other people in the line. That usually meant an automatic forfeit of your spot in the Loud House. Regardless, the others decided to let her keep her space.

The family comedian descended the stairs with a request for the parents. Approaching her mother, she took another deep breath before shooting the question. "Mum?"  
Rita glanced up in surprise. "Yes, Luan?"  
"I was wondering, if maybe, we could..." She paused, confidence suddenly failing her.  
"Honey, you're not usually this hesitant when it comes to asking me and your father for anything. I'm not going to react differently than how I've reacted before. I promise."

Reassured, Luan managed to finish. "Well, I was wondering. Since it's Saturday tomorrow, and what's been happening with Lis, we could all sleep together?"  
"Of course honey. That's a wonderful idea. Provided the others don't mind. You can all bring your mattresses downstairs, and I'll let your father know."  
"Thanks mum."  
"No problem sweetie. I'll come up with you to check what your siblings think."

—

Of course, they were all thrilled at the prospect of the spontaneous idea. All the siblings, except Lily, brought their mattresses, bed covers and pillows downstairs, the older siblings helping the younger siblings. They moved the sofa, armchair and table to the side, and arranged the temporary beds in a circle.

Lynn Sr entered with Lily's crib, and pretty soon, the eleven Loud children were settled down for the night. Lori read Lily's favourite story, which everyone listened to with childish delight. Their late evening ended with each sibling saying goodnight. Lori started the chain.

"Goodnight, Leni."  
Leni continued. "Night, Luna."  
"Rock the night, Luan. Oh, and thanks for suggesting this to our 'rents."  
"Thanks. Goodnight, Lynn."  
"Goodnight, Lincoln."  
"Night, Lucy."  
"Sweet dreams, Lana, on this beautiful night."  
"Goodnight, Lola."  
"Night, Lisa." The pageant girl said, smiling at her younger sister.  
"Have an enjoyable R.E.M. sleep, Lily."  
"'ight, 'ori." The baby finished, leaving the Loud children in a state of peace.

—

Lincoln awoke in a cold sweat, sighing in relief when he realised that it had only been a dream. But it had seemed so real. He stole a glance at his second youngest sister. She seemed so peaceful, as if none of this whole business had even happened.

He sighed again, in sadness this time. He could only hope Lisa would survive. But the boy would never give that hope up. They couldn't give up...

Failing to return to a state of unconsciousness about half an hour later, the white haired boy made his way to the kitchen. He glanced at the clock. Seven in the morning. That was early for the family on Saturday. Well, if he couldn't get to sleep, he may well make himself useful and get breakfast.

He was only just turning on the stove and frying the bacon when he was surprised from behind.  
"Lincoln, what are you doing?"  
He spun to face the sister who questioned him. It was Lori. And she looked just as tired as the boy felt.

"Oh. Hi Lori. I woke up and couldn't get to sleep again, so I may well get everyone breakfast."  
To his surprise, his eldest sister smiled and said, "Here, let me help you."  
The eleven year old smiled back, "Thanks sis."

He was draining the bacon grease when Lori asked with concern, "So, why were you up so early? It's not like you. Well, unless I mistake Walt's birdsong for a morning wake up call."  
Lincoln chuckled before answering, "I told you, I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep."  
"I know. But why did you wake up?" She paused, "Bad dream?"  
Lincoln hesitated. Should he tell her? "Yeah. I had a bad dream."  
Protective elder sister mode in full swing, Lori tried to be calm while asking, "Want to talk about it?"

Lincoln took a deep breath before confiding in the eldest Loud child. "Well. It seemed like a normal day. Going to school, walking Lucy, Lana, Lola and Lisa to class. Talking to friends." He paused before Lori gave her brother an encouraging look. "It all changed at lunch time." The boy started shaking with emotion. His sister wrapped a comforting arm around him as he spoke. "I was called to Principal Huggins office. He seemed off. Like a huge burden had been placed on him. He told me that..." He started sobbing. Lori hugged him close. Lincoln steeled himself. "Lisa had collapsed during class." Lori stiffened slightly as her younger brother continued. "She'd been rushed to hospital... but..."

He tried to finish. Really tried. But even if he could manage to finish, Lori beat him to those four dreaded words. "She didn't make it..."  
Lincoln nodded, shaking slightly as the sobs racked his body.

"I'm sorry Lincoln. I never should have asked."  
"It seemed so real, Lori. What if we lose her?"  
The elder let tears roll down her cheeks before replying. "I don't know. But we won't lose her." Lori added, "I won't let that happen."

After a long, overdue hug, the two siblings broke apart to serve the others some breakfast.

—

A/n: I'm late. Whoops...


	6. Chapter 6

A/n: School's back on. But it seems like I'm more likely to write during school time anyway...

The remainder of the Loud children woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs. Eager to get the day started with a good meal, they rushed into the dining room, beaming faces from eldest to youngest.

They found Lori and Lincoln laying the table. The eldest and middle Loud siblings had prepared a glorious feast of bacon, eggs, sausages and toast. Each plate of food just the way the intended sibling enjoyed it.

They all cheered uproariously, revelling in their siblings cooking skills. After, they got dressed and ready for the day. Their parents had arranged for a trip to the planetarium, for obvious reasons.

After piling into the van, Rita engaged in a quick head count.  
"Twelve. Huh."  
"You sure you didn't miss Lucy, honey?"  
"I'm right here." Said the goth, surprisingly spooking no one. Lincoln took a quick glance around the faces in the van before exiting with a, "I'll be right back."

The family gave each other questioning looks before Lynn blurted, "Guess we're waiting". This earned her several mad glares.

Back inside the house, Lincoln ran towards the door that led to Lisa and Lily's joint room. He gently tapped the wooden frame. "Lis? Are you still in there? Come on sis, we're going to be late."  
His sisters voice was strained, he guessed from crying, which greatly worried him. "I am aware of the notion that this may not be reminiscent of something I would suggest, but I am not in the emotional state to attend this event. Proceed without me."

Greatly puzzled by his sister's behaviour, Lincoln pushed the door open to reveal the scientist, who had pulled her green sweater over her head. "Lisa?"  
"Lisa's not here at the present point in time. She's in Sweatertown."

Lincoln did his best to hide the chuckle that resulted from the glow of warmth within his chest. They used to do this a lot when Lisa was around two, and wasn't taken as seriously as she was now. She would get upset a lot, and her stoic personality of present had resulted from her standing up to the people in the scientific community who didn't believe in what she was capable of.

Snapping out of his flashback, the elder of the two asked gently, "Are you going to come out of Sweatertown?"  
The soft, "uh-uh" confirmed his suspicion. Something was up.

"Okay. Lincoln's moving into neighbouring Shirt-town. He couldn't find a place in Sweatertown, so he's trying to be as close to his sister as possible." He explained, pulling his orange shirt over his head. "Wow. It's quite a great area. So cozy." To both of their surprise, the prodigy let out a chuckle. Lincoln joined in too, both siblings pulling down their respective articles of clothing, and afterward sharing an affectionate hug.

Breaking apart, Lincoln combed through Lisa's brunette hair, asking, "Lisa, what's wrong? You never miss the chance to visit the planetarium."

Hesitating slightly, and biting her lower lip to prepare herself for the explanation that would follow, Lisa opened up to her only brother. "I'm worried about..." She paused.  
"Lisa, if it's making you this uncomfortable, you don't have to," He was cut off.  
"Your concern is deeply appreciated, but my mental state is intact." She took a deep breath before continuing.  
"I'm worried about what my coworkers and associates will say about the leukemia."  
"Sis, you shouldn't worry about that. Getting sick is a natural part of life. This isn't your fault, and you shouldn't be ashamed of having cancer."  
Uncaring about the tears that had begun to stream down her face, the genius snapped, "IT IS MY FAULT LINCOLN!" Realising her outburst, Lisa stammered in embarrassment. "I-I... I apologise for exerting pressure on my vocal chords." She looked at her feet. "And your eardrums."

Face plastered with concern, her brother sat beside her on her bed, where she had sat after apologising, and asked, "Tell me. How is this your fault?"  
"Lincoln, you are aware of Mary Curie's experiments in radiation?" He nodded. "And you are also aware of my current endeavours in such a field, correct?"  
"Yeah."  
"Then you are also aware of why I'm the one to blame."  
Lincoln raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"

His sister sighed before glancing outside her window, where it was seen that half the Loud family, being tired of waiting for the middle and second youngest siblings, were playing out on the driveway.

"Marie Curie was an aspiring woman excelling in a field dominated by the male gender at the time. She conducted multiple experiments involving radiation. The exposure led to her developing cancer, and she died of it." Lincoln continued listening, "My constant exposure to radiation has caused my cells to mutate, like what happened with Curie."  
She took another pause before continuing. "I've predicted because of her story that it might lead to serious repercussions, but I failed to listen to my own advice. And now I'm a four year old with cancer." She finished forlornly.

The white haired boy thought for a while, before replying, "You're also a four year old who managed to create the worlds first time machine. You've made groundbreaking discoveries Lis." The girl in question looked at her brother. "And you've also got a loving family, who care for you with all our hearts. We'd never let anything hurt you. And that's a promise."  
The toddler chuckled. "Even if it was one of the most devastating conditions known to mankind?"  
Lincoln gave a laugh of his own, before answering, "Especially that."

With that, the two giggling children made their way to the car, a loving family and warm embraces awaiting them...

"FINALLY!" Came Lynn's voice, yet again causing the family to glare at her practically simultaneously.

A/n: Can any Gravity Falls fans see the reference?


	7. Chapter 7

They had just arrived at the planetarium when the patriarch got the call. The infectious ringtone and vibrating buzz caught everyone off guard.

The father took one look at the caller id, sighed in apprehension, and turned to his family. "You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up." As the other twelve filed out of the family van and into the building, he pressed the green acceptance button.

"Dr Phil. How are you?"  
The voice at the other end sounded happy and fulfilled. Lynn guessed that a good thing had just happened. "All in good health Mr Loud. And you?"  
"Great. We're at the planetarium."  
"Ah. Family bonding time. That's good to hear. So I pulled some strings, asked around, called in a favour and..." A slight pause. "Lisa got a place at the centre. You guys can go over there whenever you're ready."  
"Phil, that's great news! But I'm just asking, where is the centre?"  
"Glad you asked. I'll tell you the name later. It's in the UK. I managed to book a hotel room for anyone who wants to stay with her in the country, but no more than two people. Hotel policy." He explained.  
"Wow. That's great. I know just who can go with her. Thanks for everything Doctor."  
"The pleasure is all mine Lynn." The call ended there, and the head of the Loud family rushed to his waiting wife and children.

Luna was buzzing with excitement and anticipation. Their father had rushed toward them all with a huge grin plastered on his face. Apparently, Lisa's doctor had gotten her a place at a cancer treatment centre in the UK. And seeing that Luna knew quite a bit about the culture, she had been chosen, along with Lincoln, to go there with the young scientist by their father.

They left for their destination at the end of the week. A whole seven days to explain to their friends and pack.

She was rushing to plan the trip. She realised it may have been a little early, especially with Luan occasionally quipping a joke from the other side of the room, but you never know.

As she slaved over the complex English public transport system, her brother was deep in conversation with his best friend Clyde.

"Hey Clyde."  
"Hey buddy. What's up?"  
Lincoln paused. "Well, you know how Lisa had to go to the hospital a week ago?"  
"Yeah?" Asked the boy on the other end.  
"I really should have told you and the others earlier, but the doctor found out that..."  
"Wait a sec buddy..." His apologetic friend interjected. The next time he spoke it sounded distant, and Lincoln guessed he was talking to his dads. He returned to the phone a few seconds later. "Sorry Linc. Dad and Dad wanted me to take out the trash. Anyway, you were saying?"  
The white haired boy took a breath. "Lisa's been diagnosed with leukaemia."

An audible gasp was heard. "Oh, Lincoln, that sounds terrible. I don't blame you for not saying so sooner, you've had a lot on your mind."  
"Thanks for understanding, Clyde. Anyway, we got her a place at a treatment centre."  
"That's good."  
"There's a small problem, though."  
Clyde stiffened, and Lincoln could sense it in his tone of voice. "What's that?"  
"The centre is on the other side of the Atlantic. Mum and Dad want me and Luna to go with her."  
"Lincoln," The boy in question perked up at his friends understanding tone. "Don't worry about me or the others. Go to the centre to support your sister. We'll all be thinking of you guys."  
Lincoln inwardly sighed with relief. "Thanks buddy. You're the best. I'll see you at school."  
"See you then Linc."

And with that, the call ended.


End file.
